Sourire de dernière Rose (Smile of the Last Rose)
by Frogstaff
Summary: A 'what-if' conclusion to Revolutionary Girl Utena, written after watching the 'Black Rose Saga.' Slight spoilers for episodes up to that point.


Sourire de dernière Rose

(Smile of the Last Rose)

Utena paused before the final door, her hand stopping just short of its surface. She knew that behind that door lay the answers that she sought: the reasons behind the duels, the End of the World, Dios. She was sure that both Anthy and Akio were awaiting her within. She had not seen them since she ascended from the dueling arena to the castle that hung above it but they were too much a part of everything for them to be absent at its conclusion. Her knuckles turned white as they tightened around the hilt of her sword as she pushed the door open.

A sense of vertigo swept over her and she staggered as she tried to make sense of the room around her. The far wall was only a few meters away, a massive door covered with intricate rose carvings set in its middle. The ceiling and other two walls however, stretched on beyond what could possibly be contained within the castle, their end lost in the distance.

When she regained her balance, Utena saw that both Akio and Anthy were standing in front of the rose doors: Anthy had her head bowed, seemingly unaware of anything around her; Akio paced, a pensive look on his face. When he saw Utena his expression was replaced with a smile of profound relief. "You've arrived."

He stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders and smiling warmly. Utena felt her knees weaken as she looked up into his face and her fingers played nervously upon the hilt of her sword; for some strange reason she found its weight reassuring.

"You have reached here without losing your noble mind, so you are my real princess," Akio said, letting his hands trail down her arms. "This sword no longer suits you; from now on, I'll keep the sword and protect you." He carefully unwrapped her fingers from around the sword's hilt, taking it from her hand and casting it aside. "And we, the prince and the princess, will live in the castle, happily ever after." Akio said the words gently as he stepped between Utena and the Rose Door. 

She shook her head, as if trying to drive away a circling fly. Losing the sword unsettled her but she wasn't sure why. It was so hard to think when he smiled like that; all she wanted to do was to lose herself in his eyes. "The power to revolutionize the world lies behind those doors," she said slowly, forcing each word out, "the power that is legacy to the one engaged to the Rose Bride."

Akio's smile deepened as he pulled her closer; Utena did not resist. "The duels were to wean out all those whose souls were too sullied, too weak to control the power of the Bride. You command the power of the Rose Bride. You do not need what lies beyond the Rose Door."

"I control the sword of Dios. I have the power to break the seal."

Akio's smile became more enveloping. "The sword of Dios is not the key to that door. Dios himself sealed it; his sword won't open it."

A shadow of doubt entered her eyes. There was something wrong in his words but she couldn't say what it was. "What else can there be?"

Akio held her out at arm's length, locking her eyes with his. "The key for that lock is the soul-sword of the duelist who has proven that their soul is purest. Your soul-sword, victor-of-the-duels."

A look of fear flashed across Utena's face but Akio pulled her close, smothering the emotion with his presence. "One final task, my beloved princess, then you can lay down your burden and I will lay you on a bed of roses, where you may sleep for the rest of time."

"And Anthy?"

Akio's smile slipped but Utena still had her face pressed against his shoulder and couldn't see it. "Don't fear for my sister. The Rose Bride will always have her place." As he drew his hand through Utena's hair, his eyes rested on his sister. She still stood with her head bowed. If any thought troubled her mind it failed to show on her face.

"I can't wield my own soul-sword."

"No my princess, that will be my task."

Utena tried to shake her head but Akio clasped it between his hands, bending his own close enough to brush her lips with his. "Just surrender to me. Surrender it to me and this will all be over."

With a slight movement he brought her head forward, pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes drifted shut and her body fell against his as she sank into the kiss.

His hands drifted from her face, one stopping on her shoulder the other coming to rest between her breasts. He moved his lips against hers. "Surrender."

A hard point pressed against his palm. "Surrender," he whispered again. "My princess." Utena's back arched as a sword hilt emerged from her chest and Akio's lips curved back into a smile as the sword continued to rise, his fingers closing around the hilt.

Utena's eyes flew open. "No," she whispered, pushing his head away. Thinking was still a struggle but she _knew _that this was not how it should be. Akio's words, his promises, his touch, all suddenly shriek 'deception!' The sword began to sink back into her chest as she tried to push his hands away but Akio tightened his grip on its hilt, ignoring her cry of pain as he stopped it's descent. 

He couldn't believe that she was fighting him. She had been completely under his control, how could she resist him? "No," he hissed, anger flickering across his face. "Give me your soul-sword!"

Utena beat her arms against him, trying to knock him away but he ignored her blows, tightening his grip on her shoulder until bone creaked and she cried out in pain. With inhuman strength he wrenched forth the hilt of her soul-sword, the spray of blood that washed over him lost against the crimson of his uniform.

Utena's cry of agony was lost in the crack of bone as Akio tore the sword free from her body then released his grip, letting her fall to the floor. Kneeling, he wiped the blood from its blade on the sleeve of her uniform, ignoring the look of shock and betrayal in her eyes. Her lips moved but the only sound she made was a choked gurgle as blood filled her lungs.

He turned away from where Utena lay in a spreading pool of scarlet. "You can no longer thwart me Dios," he said to the Rose Door.

"To smash the world's shell," he whispered, gripping the hilt of Utena's soul-sword in both hands and raising it above his head, but before he could bring the sword down a delicate hand closed around his wrist. Even though there was only one person it could be, he glanced over his shoulder and saw his sister standing behind him, her slender fingers wrapped around his wrist.

"You lied to her," Anthy said, her voice and face remaining expressionless.

"About what?" Akio asked. There was nothing that could stop him now. He could afford to pause to humor his sister.

"You told her that you would lay her upon a bed of roses."

Akio's laugh was a mirthless and chilling sound. "I didn't lie to her, I only failed to explain what I meant. She entered this saga in a coffin of flowers, so she shall leave it."

"Utena-sama deserved better." For all the expression on Anthy's face, she might as well have been saying that the day was warm.

Akio raised an eyebrow. "Sama? Why do you still treat her with such respect? You didn't grant any of the other victors such, after they had outlived their usefulness."

Instead of answering Anthy cast her eyes downward, but nor did she relinquish her grip on his wrist.

"Enough," Akio said as the moments stretched on, his expression growing stern, "release me."

For the first time in all the unimaginable years that resided in his memory he saw a genuine emotion mar his sister's face: anger. Her fingers tightened convulsively around his wrist, squeezing inward until bone broke and flesh tore.

Utena's soul-sword dropped to the ground with a discordant clang as Akio clutched his stricken wrist. Anthy bowed to pick up it up then slowly walked to where Utena lay. Although her blue eyes were still wide with shock, they were glassy and the bloody ruin of her chest did not stir.

Anthy felt long neglected emotions begin to stir as she looked down upon her fallen champion. Her protector. Her Prince. "You…I will duel," she declared haltingly.

"The Rose Bride? Dueling?" Akio hissed as he clutched his injured hand. "You've never even held a sword."

"It matters not," Anthy said and the fine red material of her dress darkened, rotting away in matter of seconds. She stood naked a moment before lifting her arms, a red mist rising from her skin as if her blood was boiling away. The mist thickened and congealed, covering her from neck to toe, forming a suit of scarlet armor, a white rose engraved above her right breast.

"I suppose I'm the one at the disadvantage now," Akio said derisively.

Anthy glanced dispassionately at her brother's hand then raised her own and drove the sword through her palm. The expression on her face didn't alter as she sawed the blade through her flesh until it tore free between her fingers, blood pouring down her fingers as she let her hand fall back to her side. 

Surprise painted Akio's face and he seemed to forget about his own injury for a moment. "You…you enjoyed that, didn't you? The pain; you liked it."

"Pain is the most basic of feelings. It is too simple to lie. It is the one feeling that you cannot touch, cannot twist for your own purposes. It's an honest feeling and that's why I savor it. That is why I tolerated Saionji. His feelings were simple, honest in their own way, as was the pain that he gave me. What Utena-sama tried to give me was friendship, love, respect. Feelings that were complex and can be twisted so that even the purest can be used to serve the darkest ends. That is why Utena-sama has my eternal respect." Before her brother could answer she strode forward, a red rose suddenly clutched in her hand. She pinned it to his shirt above his right breast then stepped back.

"You need a rose yourself, sister," Akio said, retrieving the sword from where he had thrown it.

"I have one," she replied, touching the engraved rose on her breast with the crosspiece of Utena's soul-sword.

Akio fought to keep down laughter. "You're that confident of your skill? The only way to cut off that rose is to stab you through the heart. I have the skill of the ages. You've never even held a weapon before. You have no protector this time, no champion, no hope."

"Utena-sama believed that there was always hope, as long as there was life."

Akio laughed. "Did her credo do her any good?" He glanced to where Utena's body lay. A white mist was seeping from the Rose Door and he didn't like the way it seemed to be gathering around her. Anthy didn't allow him time to dwell on his apprehension, running at him, her blank expression cracking, fury seeping through.

Akio dodged the clumsy charge, his own sword flashing down, just missing her heels. She turned, her blade swinging level with his head and he raised his own sword to block it. Despite the clumsiness of the swing, Utena's soul-sword bit deeply into Akio's blade.

He took the offensive, driving Anthy back with a series of slashes that she was hard pressed to block. However, each time their swords met, his came away with an additional piece taken out of the edge. If he didn't win this soon his sword would be dulled to uselessness.

As he recovered from his last swing he altered the angle of his arm, darting in with a lunge. Anthy tried to sidestep and the blade slid across her armor, striking her injured hand.

Akio allowed himself a small smile of triumph as her mouth opened in a silent cry but faster than he expected, Anthy slashed at him, the flat of her blade slapping his injured wrist. Akio's cry of pain was anything but silent and he backed away, clutching his wrist against his stomach.

Anthy's sword suddenly dropped to her side, a look of surprise crossing her face. Akio knew that she lacked the cunning to attempt to trick him into lowering his defense, so he glanced over his shoulder to see what had shocked her.

The pale mist that had drifted around Utena had gathered together, rising up in the form of a man. His hair was white as virgin snow, in stark contrast to the rich brown of his face. His clothing was the same brilliant white as his hair, except for the lining of his cloak, which was the same shade of crimson as Anthy's armor. Utena's head was resting on his lap and sparkling diamonds traced trails down his cheeks as he stroked her hair. Sensing the lull in the fight, the apparition looked up. To Akio, it was like looking into a mirror.

"No!" he shouted, his composure cracking, "You're gone! You're time passed and I took your place! You're a figment!"

The apparition's lips moved but it was Anthy who spoke. "Mamiya was a figment. He held power over Mikage. In the end, Mikage too was nothing more than a figment, but he held power over the darkness that lurks within at the soul's edge. His power turned an innocent girl against her dearest friend; his power turned a sister against her beloved brother. You of all people should respect the power of figments."

Anthy stepped forward as the apparition gently set Utena's head on the floor. "Dios," she said quietly, stopping less than a pace away from him. "He-who-was. Brother. Akio."

The apparition flinched at the last name. It opened its mouth but the sound that came forth was not a voice, but a vocalization upon the soul. "Anthy. She-who-is-eternal. Sister."

The apparition placed a hand between her breasts and her head fell back as the hilt of a sword sprang from her chest. Dios smoothly drew it forth, the sword remaining firmly in his grip despite the insubstantiality of his appearance.

Simultaneously both turned to face Akio, the apparition stepping forward until it stood between Akio and Anthy. "He-who-is," it acknowledged and took a step back as Anthy took a step forward. The two sank into each other, the swords in each of their hands melting into each other, forming a single blade.

Akio's face twisted in rage. "No! You can't do this! Not when I am so close to making the world mine!" He charged, his sword level with Anthy's neck. Faster than his eye could follow she sidestepped, her blade catching his and whipping it in a circle that wrenched his wrist backwards and nearly tore the sword from his grip. Suddenly she was behind him, and he ducked, but not fast enough to keep her sword-point from carving a shallow gash across his back. Trepidation began to chew at him as he probed her defenses, without success. He no longer faced merely his sister but the spirit of what he had once been.

Anthy turned aside his blade and took the offensive, forcing him to retreat with attack after attack that he was hard pressed to block. However, even aided by Dios, his sister wasn't a natural fighter and her attacks began to take on a predictable rhythm. 

She began a series of slashes that he knew that would end with a lunge and as she darted forward, he sidestepped, knocking her blade wide. Anthy was not expecting the sudden lack of resistance and stumbled forward as Akio spun, his blade diving for her leg. Even though the blow was absorbed by her armor, it knocked her further off balance driving her to her knees. As she rose, Akio skipped backwards, his rear leg coiling beneath him. He changed the sword to his wounded hand, bracing the pommel with his good arm. He sprang off of his coiled leg, sword-tip aimed at the white rose above his sister's heart.

The moment seemed to slow as he leapt forward. His sister crouched, her rear leg coiled beneath her. She transferred her sword to her other hand, forcing her ruined fingers to close around the hilt. She braced her good hand behind the pommel and leapt forward off the coiled spring of her leg, sword held level with the rose on his chest. Surprise coursed through Akio as he realized that she was using the same attack as he. Neither of them had any way to defend themselves from the other; the winner would be whoever struck first

Her movement shattered the bubble of slowed time, snapping it in the opposite direction. His sister became a blur of crimson before his eyes as they hurtled towards each other, impacting in the space of a heartbeat.

It was strange how little it hurt, Akio thought as the petals of his rose fell free from their stem. The only sound that reached his ears was the discordant ringing as the fragments of his shattered sword struck the floor. Other sounds began to reach him as the clamor faded: Anthy's labored breathing, the rasping gargle that he identified as his own.

The crosspiece of Anthy's sword was pressed firmly against his chest. A twinge in his back told him where the point had emerged. If the sword had missed his heart, it was by less than a hair's breadth. His legs buckled beneath him; the only thing that held him upright was his sister's grip on the sword. "No." Talking was an incredible effort. He had to force each word out. "Not when I was this close, not when the power was almost in my grasp." He could feel blood spilling into his throat, filling his chest. "Why…why this time? All the duels, all the centuries…all those who've fallen…why now…do you turn on me?"

Anthy sank to her knees, pulling Akio down with her. "All that the others wanted was power and I was nothing more than their key to it. To Utena-sama, I was more than a means to an end."

"If she had known what you were when she became the victor, she would have been no different from all the others."

For the first time Anthy's expression became pleasant, a smile taking possession of her face. "No, even in the end, when she finally thought she understood everything, she still did what she thought was for the greatest good." The smile faded as if it had never existed. "If she had known everything, then she would not have come to this castle. She trusted you, never understanding that you were not the prince she thought you were."

Akio tried to speak but blood filled his throat, making him cough and choke. When he finally recovered, darkness was creeping in around the edges of his vision. "I was exactly the prince she thought I was. She just didn't understand what he really was." He could feel the pain now, radiating through his chest. "Finish it now. Make yourself the final victor. Claim for yourself," he fell into another fit of coughing, "the power to revolutionize the world."

Anthy sighed, allowing her head to bow. "I cannot do that. I am one part of the whole. You are the other. There can be no other without the one."

Akio's blood-stained smile was mocking, "No light without the dark?"

Anthy glanced over to where Utena lay. "No, I have allowed to much wrong to be done by my name and my inaction to claim anything so noble. And you are not as black and soiled as you would claim."

Akio tried to lift the remnant of his sword, "I would strike you down now if I had the strength. I would kill you with my last breath."

"No," Anthy said. "He tells me otherwise and I believe him." A white mist began to gather around Anthy and Akio's eye widened as the intangible form of Dios drifted free of his sister.

"Stay away from me!" Akio gasped. "You have no power anymore. You were too weak to endure. I took your place." He gathered his remaining strength. "In order to survive, you had to become me!" he shouted defiantly. 

The apparition drifted along the length of Anthy's arm and when it reached the sword's crosspiece, it surged forward, enveloping Akio. For a moment both figures were visible, super-imposed over one another, then Akio began to scream as Dios melted into him.

The flow of blood from his mouth and chest stopped as Dios faded into Akio and he began shuddering uncontrollably. Anthy pulled her brother close, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Enough," he said when the shaking finally subsided. "I will be fine."

"You're whole again?"

Her brother looked up at her and although his face was unchanged, his eyes seemed to have been aged by years unimaginable and held more pain than anyone should have to bear. "I have never been less than. You never understood. I held the power of creation and using it I sought to change the world. Instead the world changed me and in fear of what that change might bring, I stripped myself of my own power and sealed it behind the Rose Door."

"Who are you now? Akio or Dios?"

A troubled look crossed his eyes. "I do not know. I have been both the darkness and the light and now that the two are one I know not where their balance lies."

He placed his hands on the hilt protruding from his chest and pulled it free. "I can never be extenuated of the sins that I committed as Akio, but I must try nonetheless." He looked at the Rose Door. "But I will have to do so without the power I once held. That will stay sealed away forever. I am Dios and I am Akio and I now know that neither ever deserved such power." He raised the sword above his head, the sword of Dios slipping free of Utena's soul-sword. It hovered for a moment then hurtled forward, embedding itself in the Rose Door. The carved roses trembled as though they were being wracked by the wind, and branches grew outwards, encircling the hilt with thorn-laden coils. Slowly, the roses again became still and except for thorn studded outgrowth, it again appeared to be merely a door.

"You never lost the power of the creation," her brother said as he gave Utena's soul-sword to Anthy. "You could have ended this yourself."

She shook her head. "That is why Akio bound me to the duels, my powers fettered until claimed by the victor. I had the power you had forsaken and Akio feared me for it." She walked to where Utena lay. Her champion's bright blue eyes were glazed and staring. "If she had claimed that power, I know that she would have used it well."

"She truly was your prince," her brother said with no trace of irony.

"Her heart held nobler intentions than ours could ever aspire to." As her voice cracked, so did her armor. It fell away, revealing a plain crimson gown underneath. "She deserved better," she said as she lay the soul-sword across Utena's ruined chest.

"She deserves better," her brother corrected her gently. "We are eternal; the world is transient. You can shape that transience. Grant your prince what she deserves."

Anthy placed her fingers on Utena's eyes and drew their lids shut. She bent her head and brushed her lips against Utena's, already they were growing cold. Closing her eyes tightly, for the first time in more years than memory could hold, she cried.

"Anthy-chan!" Utena shouted with all the impatience that a ten-year-old could summon. "Hurry up!"

"Yes Utena-sama," Anthy said dutifully as she walked beside her brother.

"Don't call me that!" Utena said, stamping her foot. "I hate it when you call me that! You're my friend!" She brushed back the hair that her tantrum had knocked into her sparkling blue eyes. "Now c'mon, we're going to be late for Touga's party." Her patience exhausted, Utena dashed down the road then stopped, waiting for the other two to catch up.

"She deserved better," Anthy said quietly to her brother.

"And so you gave it to her," he replied.

"She has been given the world that she should have had."

"She is not the only one."

Anthy looked up at him questioningly.

"Even when I was Dios, even when the world was ours to shape as we saw fit, were you happy?"

Before Anthy could reply, Utena came dashing back and grabbed her arm. "C'mon!"

"Yes Utena-"

"Don't you even think about saying it!"

"Yes Utena," Anthy allowed the pause to stretch out, "-chan." The composed look on her face melted into a slow, shy smile.

Utena squealed with delight and wrapped Anthy in an enthusiastic hug. "Finally!" she shouted, letting Anthy go. "You should smile more often. It makes your face all bright."

"Yes Utena-chan," Anthy said, allowing Utena to pull her along.

As Anthy ran hand and hand with the other girl, she thought about her brother's question. She glanced back at him and he smiled and waved.

It didn't matter she realized, if she had been content in the past; because, as she glanced at the girl running next to her, she knew that she was happy now.


End file.
